Councillors seek to exploit ‘loophole’ on bypass plan

Legal opinion is to be sought by city councillors on whether a ‘loophole’ can be exploited to exclude lands at Galway Racecourse, NUI Galway and in Menlo from the bypass route selection process.

At a meeting of Galway City Council this week, four motions (and amendments to those motions) were put forward by councillors on the bypass plans, including one from Fine Gael’s john Walsh, who said a variation should be made to the City Development Plan, whereby lands at Galway Racecourse and NUIG be “excluded from any current or future proposals to develop road infrastructure in the city”.

An amendment to that motion from his party colleague Frank Fahy said that the Menlo village envelope (including a 500 metre exclusion zone), and Coolough, Castlegar and Briarhill should also be excluded.

“If we make a variation excluding these locations, they’ll have to go back to the drawing board,” said Cllr Walsh.

However, Acting City Chief Executive, Joe O’Neill said he had serious reservations about the motions, as the preferred route is set to be announced by the end of April.

He explained that the time period involved in drawing up a variation to the Development Plan, putting it on public display and approving it meant any variation would not be approved before the end of April.

“[On Cllr Walsh’s motion] the legal and practically implications are serious and would be contrary to the strategic objectives of the Development Plan,” said Mr O’Neill.

He added that such a motion would undermine the bypass selection process and therefore the entire project would have to be called into question.

“This is too important. It’s a very challenging and difficult situation. Nobody set out to upset people. Six different groups of people are understandably upset.

“There is no solution that doesn’t involve some negative impacts. When Quincentenary Bridge was built, a number of homes were demolished. A solution to our problems is urgently needed. We have to have another crossing of the river. This will remove a significant barrier to the economic development of the city,” said Mr O’Neill.

Separate motions from Cllr Padraig Conneely (FG) and Catherine Connolly (Ind) called for the route selection process to be halted, while a joint motion from Cllrs Declan McDonnell, Donal Lyons and Terry O’Flaherty (Independents) called on the consultants to re-examine the routes and prioritise human habitat over wildlife and Special Areas of Conservation.

It was agreed to defer all motions until March 23, when councillors will hold a special meeting on the bypass.